The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-04-22

| climbed Its topmost pinnacle and tasted O
the fresh breath Of heaven that sweep
around its heights-ay, and heard the quirinI
OF immortal harps and the swanlike sigh O
angels wings; and then behold! mist ha
fallen upon them, and they have wandered Il
1t. and when 1t cleared they were on tn
mountain paths again, and the peak was IA
away. And few there are who tell us thu
they live there always, listening to the voic,
| Of God; but these are old and worn with
journeying-men and women who have out
lived passions and ambitions and the firt
heats Of love, and who now, grit about with
memories, stand face to face with the sphinx
eternity.
But John Mel was no chicken, nor very
likely to fall In love with the first pretty face
he met. He had once, years ago, gone
through that melancholy stage, and there, he
thought, was an end Of 1t. Another thing
WINS that il Bessie attracted him, so did Jess
In different way. Before he had been q
week In tho house he had come to the con.
clusion TINT Jess was the strangest woman he
had ever met, and in her own way one OF the
most attractive. Her very impassiveness
added to her charm; for who Is there In this
world who does not like to learn secret9 TO
him Jess was riddle Of which he did not
know the key. That she was clever and we'll
informed he soon discovered from her rare
remarks; that she could sing like an angel he
also knew; but what was the handspring OF
her nind-round what axis did it revolve-
that was what puzzled him. Clearly enough
it was not like most women's, least of all like
happy. healthy, plain sailing Bessie So curl
ous did he become to fathom these mysteries
tnat he took every opportunity to associate
with her, and would even, when lie had time,
go out with her on her sketching, or rather
flower painting, expeditions. On these &C.
casions she would sometimes begin to talk.
but 1t was always about books, or England,
or some intellectual question. She never
spoke of herself.
Yet it soon became evident to John that
she liked his society, and missed him when he
did not come. 1t never occurred to him what
a boon 1t was to girl of considerable intel.
lectual attainments. and still greater intel.
lectual capacities and aspirations, to be
thrown for the first time into the society of
cultivated and intelligent gentleman. John
Mel was no empty headed. one sided indi-
vidual. He had both read and thought, and
even written little, and in him Jess found q
mind which, though of an inferior stamp,
was more or less kindred to her own. AL
though he did not understand her, she under
stood him, and at last, had he but known 1t,
there rose far off dawning light upon the
twilight of her mind that thrilled and changed
it as the first faint rays Of morning thrill and
change the darkness of the night. What if
she should learn to love this man, and teach
him to love her? TO most women such
thought involves more or less the idea of
q rrI n nnd hat -
which they generally consider so de-
'irable. But Jess did not think much
II that: what she did think of was the
blessed possibility of being able to lay down
Ter life, as it were, in the life of another-of |
hiding at last somebody who understood her,
md whom she could understand, who would |
ut the shackles that bound down the wings of |
Ter genius, so that she could rise and bear him
With her as, in Bulwer Lyttons beautiful
tory, Zoe would have borne her lover Here
It last was man who understood, who was
omethlng more than IN animal, and who
possessed the godlike gift of brains tLS gift
hat had been more of curse than blessing
o her, lifting her above the level Of her sex
nd shutting her off as by iron doors from
he understanding Of those around her. All!
I only this perfect love of which she had
cad so much would come to him and her, life
night perhaps grow worth the living.
1t is curious thing, bnt in such matters
most men never learn wisdom from expert
nee. A man Of John Niel's age might have
'uessed that it is dangerous work playing
With explosives, and that the quietest, most
ARMIES looking substances are sometimes
he most explosive. He might have known
hat to set to work to cultivate the society OF
woman with such telltale eyes as Jess was
run the risk of catching the fire from them
lmself, to say nothing of setting her alight;
might have known that to bring all the
eight of his cultivated mind to bear on her
lind, to take the deepest interest in her
udies, to implore her to let him see the
oetry Bessie told him she wrote, but which
he would show to no living soul, and to
vince the most evident delight in her singing
ere one and all dangerous things to do; and
1T he did them and thought no harm.
AS for Bessie, she was delighted that her
ster should have found anybody whom she
lred to talk to or who could understand her.
never occurred to her that Jess might fall
love- Jess was the last person in the world
fall in love. Nor did she calculate what
10 results might be to John. As yet, at any I
tie, she had no interest in Capt. Niel-of !
urse not ]
And SO things went on pleasantly enough I
all concerned in this drama till one fine
y when the storm clouds began to gather.
'hn had been about the farm as usual till I
nner time, after which he took his gun and i
Id Jantje to saddle up his shooting pony. e
was standing on the veranda, waiting for d
e pony to appear, and by him was Bessie, t
oking particularly attractive in a white b
ess, when suddenly he caught sight of a
ank Muller's great black horse, and that
ntleman himsalf upon it, cantering up the b
enue of blue gums.
'Hullo, Miss Bessie" he said, "here comes I"
ur friend" n
'Bother!" said Bessie, stamping her foot IL
a then, with quick look, "Why do YOU "
Il him my friendN y
i imagine that he considers himself so. to
18e from the number of times a week he 81
mes to see you" he answered, with shrug,
t any rate, he isn't mine, SO 1 am Off a
,oting. Good-by. hope that you will "
joy yourself"
You are not kind, =" she said, in low voice, SC
d turning her back on him. sa
n another moment he was gone, and Frank d.
,ller had arrived SO
How do you do, Miss Bessiesn he said. th
nping from his horse with the rapidity Of a he